Britain loves a good BOGOF. The phenomenon of the ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offer has proved so popular on our supermarket shelves that it has also become commonplace in other sectors, such as holidays and home improvements. It’s even been known to penetrate the business-to-business building products market.
This week, a report by the House of Lords European Union Committee... Read More

After a lean few years in the construction sector, the recent upturn in house building has caused talk to turn to the skills gap again. It’s also generated big political promises, with Labour’s shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds telling a Home Builders Federation (HBF) conference last week that a Labour government would re-introduce rules requiring house builders to recruit... Read More

Marketing Week reported last week that consumer perceptions of clothing brand NEXT have fallen, despite growing sales. It’s an odd state of affairs as, generally, you might assume there’d be a direct correlation between brand and sales performance. It’s also a cautionary tale…demonstrating that even the strongest brands need to be nurtured and protected as an ongoing process... Read More

I overheard a conversation about the new ad for mobile phone provider, ‘3’, the other day. You know the one? With the little girl on the bicycle, the singing kitten and the (until recently) mostly forgotten ‘80s rock ‘classic’?
The conversation went something like this:
Man 1: “I don’t get the point of it’
Man 2: “I think the point is that there is no point.”
Man... Read More

World Cup fever has begun in earnest. With less than 100 days to go now until the first kick off, all the teams are gearing up to win.
There will be matches to be won or lost between now and then as we warm up for the tournament but the real battle facing the England team is the battle to win the confidence of the nation. While Paralympics GB is doing well at the games and exceeding... Read More

So the Oscars circus has rolled into town in LA, and rolled out again, in a blur of fancy frocks, after show parties and dreams come true (or dashed for another year).
The whole fanfare – the build up, the pundits, the red carpet chats, the speeches and the occasional tears – is part of a global brand, symbolised by the little gold statuettes that grace the mantelpieces of the... Read More

The great thing about the Internet is that it’s so limitless. The potential audience is almost infinite and there’s no cost attached to the space you use, nor do you have to convince an editor that your content is worthwhile.
But that doesn’t mean that you should be uploading any old content thrown together without close attention to detail…far from it!
The company blog... Read More

The latest Construction Trade Survey was published this week, telling it how it is across the sector, straight from the horse’s mouth. It provides data based on the perceptions of those that have been at the rock face of keeping construction businesses afloat during recent lean times, and one of the take home headlines is that the sector is still doing better, echoing the economic... Read More

One of our clients has a bone to pick with us.
After a direct mail campaign designed and delivered by CME, his appointment diary is now full for the next two months and he’s still receiving enquiries.
It’s not because he’s invented something radically new or is offering a too-good-to-be-true cut price deal; the secret to this success story lies in one simple but significant... Read More

So, the wait is over. We know who has won the X factor for another year and, whether or not you care who got the most votes on the night, it’s clear that the well-worn TV format has an enduring appeal to its target demographic.
X Factor’s success over a ten year tenure at the top of the TV ratings is all about understanding the target audience and adapting to fit in with changing... Read More